Reconciliation Thinkinghttps://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com
Unleashing The Reconcilers ImaginationSat, 16 Sep 2017 19:46:53 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/9b5acd1744b3fc7f10ca88207dfc6dc5?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngReconciliation Thinkinghttps://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com
A Familyhttps://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/a-family/
https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/a-family/#commentsTue, 10 Feb 2015 18:35:32 +0000http://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/?p=905Continue reading A Family]]>We value community. We value community because we believe it is a natural result of reconciliation in Christ. We also value community because we think it can help facilitate family. So in our community we value transparency that reveals our lives to one another, and this is not limited to “others” in the community. In other words, I personally am just as much a part of that transparency as is the organization. We also realize that in meaningful ways our community does not stop at the door, but it includes the many who support and have been a part of our community even if for just a short time during a mission trip. All of that to say this…

It has been a tough couple of months and it has been an exciting couple of months. Lots of ups and downs. We have struggled financially. We are getting ready to move locations, but don’t know exactly where yet (hopefully this week we’ll sort that out). One of our core members and key staff resigned which has left an emotional space and a duty space.

But, the Lord has blessed us with some new leadership on the Board of Directors that has helped to invigorate a challenging and exciting strategic planning process. We have redeveloped our mission team experience to allow for more opportunities, make it more wide ranging while becoming more meaningful at the same time. We have planned an incredible, deep and innovative educational opportunity called The Reconciliation and Justice Academy. Our community continues to grow deeper and we are seeing lives transformed regularly.

Of course none of this happens in linear time or all at once. It is all a mixture of experiences.

With all this as background I just receive two tidbits of news. First, a March mission team is likely going to have to back out. Second, we are not sure we’ll be able to make payroll this next pay period. I felt deflated (and a little self-pitying). “God, what are you trying to say? Are we coming to an end of 16 years of ministry?” Then I got news that Jerry, a homeless member of the community, was laid out on the side of the road. Two of our community members went to get him. He was unable to get up on his own, an ambulance was called, and he is now in the ICU. He called this morning to update us on his progress (more tests, internal bleeding) and to ask if we could bring him some toenail clippers. Then Robert, a core leader in our community, who also has a serious drinking problem, came to the end of his rope. Two members just left to take him into treatment. And God whispered, “Toenails and treatment. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

We value community. We value community because we believe it is a natural result of reconciliation in Christ. We also value community because we think it can help facilitate family.

]]>https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/a-family/feed/1Pastor AndyAn Update from Pleasant Hillhttps://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/an-update-from-pleasant-hill/
https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/an-update-from-pleasant-hill/#respondThu, 05 Feb 2015 02:05:29 +0000http://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/?p=902Continue reading An Update from Pleasant Hill]]>[Last year Church on the Street accepted an invitation to assist the Pleasant Hill neighborhood of Macon, GA to organize and build community. Since then Michelle Witherspoon has been our primary community liaison working with neighborhood leaders. This is an update from Michelle.]

We have identified, recruited and gathered a small community of neighbors in Pleasant Hill. After several meetings and discernment exercises the group feels led toward focusing efforts on the housing/empty lot crisis. Mia, a new addition to the group, helpfully brings expertise as a real estate attorney. Another member, Belinda, works for the city of Macon and has a unique asset, the ear of city officials! The group is passionate about seeing empty lots cleaned up, homes renovated, and dilapidated homes being torn down. They continue to share stories of ways they are reaching out to their neighbors for participation and encouraging people to join the group’s efforts.

Our next steps involve helping the group to map the neighborhood – identifying neighbors keeping up their properties, abandoned homes and lots, trouble spots, patterns, potential allies and community members, etc. – in order to begin to develop a more comprehensive vision and strategy.

On a personal note, I continue to be impacted by the commitment and sense of ownership I see from each of the community members. Ms. Lillian, who often hosts the meeting at her home, is known as the Meet and Greet leader of her street. She knows her neighbors, visits them regularly, and inspires the people around her to participate in the development of the community. She herself is physically disabled, but that in no way keeps her from getting out and being an activist for her neighborhood. There is so much great history to Pleasant Hill and these neighbors hold that very closely and regularly tell stories of years past and what the neighborhood has always represented. They are refreshing to be around!

]]>https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/an-update-from-pleasant-hill/feed/0Pastor AndyListening to the Family, or Being Reminded What You’re Doinghttps://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/01/28/listening-to-the-family-or-being-reminded-what-youre-doing/
https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/01/28/listening-to-the-family-or-being-reminded-what-youre-doing/#respondThu, 29 Jan 2015 01:51:32 +0000http://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/?p=893Continue reading Listening to the Family, or Being Reminded What You’re Doing]]>Toward the end of the day there were about 10-15 core members of the community hanging out. Because Church on the Street has just begun the strategic planning process I thought I would ask the community what, from their perspective, was the value or practice that, without it, Church on the Street would be something other than what it is; in other words, what defines us. Here’s their responses.

We’re a family, there’s a sense of togetherness.

You’re unconditionally accepted; we’re very forgiving. When I get locked up I can and want to come back. You’re missed. Even if you didn’t want to come back we hunt you down.

You’re treated with dignity.

We are learning how to be better; how to be friends.

Everyone contributes and has responsibilities.

I moved from feeling helpless to feeling helpful.

We are educational.

We are learning to be responsible, to take ownership, not to be a volunteer.

We are accountable to others like us.

At other ministries you can get food, but here we have prayer and bible study everyday to build each other up and grow. There’s daily support and insight.

We eat together as friends, not like a soup kitchen. Not just the homeless, you might be sitting with people from the suburbs or a college.

We are truly diverse, not like others who use diverse as a catch phrase. We’re a diverse family.

We are what we say we are.

Everyone has input.

We are self-policing and disciplining.

There’s a sense of belonging. I belong somewhere.

It’s less “churchy” and more family – everybody plays their part, role and it works. It reveals the things you need to work on in yourself.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the latest kerfuffle or in all the planning and administrating that we forget that real lives are being transformed by the power of Christ’s love. What was an administrative chore turned into a great time of sharing, encouraging and refreshing.

]]>https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/01/28/listening-to-the-family-or-being-reminded-what-youre-doing/feed/0Pastor AndyNew Year, New Opportunitieshttps://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/new-year-new-opportunities/
https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/new-year-new-opportunities/#respondFri, 23 Jan 2015 01:23:52 +0000http://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/?p=891Continue reading New Year, New Opportunities]]>2015 is off to a flying start and we’ve got a couple of new things up our sleeve for the new year. Here’s a sneak peak at two of them…

New Mission Team Options Mission Team Workshops are opportunities for those seeking to learn how to engage with the vulnerable, live as neighbors and overcome divisions in their own communities. All trips are an intensive crash course in fostering and living into community. During these trips guests learn the theological foundations and practical skills for developing reciprocal relationships and serving the most vulnerable. Every experience will broadly cover topics including:

Reconciliation and Justice

Human Trafficking

Racial Reconciliation

Community Development

Poverty/Homelessness

Now when you register for a trip you can choose a focus to add on to the experience. In addition to the standard trip, there are options designed specifically for college students or leadership teams. You can also choose trips with an extended focus on human trafficking, community development, homelessness/Poverty or racial reconciliation.

The Reconciliation and Justice Academy We want to go deeper. So we have partnered with people and organizations that have been thinking and working intensely on specific areas of reconciliation and justice. We want to make this collective experience and wisdom available to you. In May you can join us for this unique experience. As well as participating in the life of the Church on the Street Community through prayer and shared meals, you will also choose a ministry specific intensive track.

There will also be two joint sessions. The first will be led by Dr. Andy Odle, the Executive Director of Church on the Street, who will help us to position ministry within a theology of reconciliation. The second will be led by Chris Heuertz, formerly of Word Made Flesh and now the co-founder of Gravity: A Center for Contemplative Activism, who will help us to ground social engagement within Christian contemplative spirituality.

More details and how to register will be made available soon.

]]>https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/new-year-new-opportunities/feed/0Pastor AndyWhere’d the money go?https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/888/
https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/888/#respondThu, 18 Dec 2014 02:28:31 +0000http://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/?p=888Continue reading Where’d the money go?]]>Last May Elliot issued a challenge to the friends and supporters of Church on the Street. He had been out of work so he pledged that as soon as he found work he would use his first check to make a donation to the ministry. Once he fulfilled his promise he then laid down the gauntlet, “Match the $40 that I gave, double it, or do even more. Just don’t do nothing.”

Yesterday Elliot said that it was time to issue his challenge again. So here it is. If you, your church or business would like to match, double, or do even more than Elliot and share a Christmas or year-end tax-deductible gift you can donate easily and safely online here or send a check to:

Church on the Street P.O. Box 54717 Atlanta, GA 30308

Thank you for all your help this past year. Let’s make 2015 even better!

I received a letter from a member of our community that has been “on vacation” for a few months. He is doing fantastic and learning quite a bit about himself as he is growing closer to God. Enclosed in the letter was a gift and I wanted to share it with all of you.

I have enclosed a cross necklace made by one of the dorms Master paper mache and industrial floor wax artisans. The Sermon On The Mount from the KJV has been carefully strung between beads of Church on the Street yellow. The fluorescent green is a millennial fashion accent. Please wear it or use it to artfully adorn your office. Merry Christmas and Happy TG.

Thanks Daniel. We look forward to reuniting in a couple of months.

]]>https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/early-christmas-from-prison/feed/0Pastor AndynecklaceWhat CotS Means To Me!https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/what-cots-means-to-me/
https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/what-cots-means-to-me/#respondFri, 21 Nov 2014 18:14:58 +0000http://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/?p=879]]>At our luncheon last Saturday we showed this video of several members in the community sharing about what Church on the Street means to them.

If this is the kind of community you would like to support you can join our 365×1000 Campaign. Or you can give directly here to financially support our work.

]]>https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/what-cots-means-to-me/feed/0Pastor Andy365×1000: Because Serving the Vulnerable Never Takes a Day Offhttps://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/365x1000-because-serving-the-vulnerable-never-takes-a-day-off/
https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/365x1000-because-serving-the-vulnerable-never-takes-a-day-off/#commentsThu, 23 Oct 2014 01:03:08 +0000http://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/?p=877Continue reading 365×1000: Because Serving the Vulnerable Never Takes a Day Off]]>365 days a year the homeless are left on the streets lonely, isolated and exposed.(approximately 14,000 in Atlanta)

365 days a year the mentally ill are abandoned to their own suffering. (1/3 of homeless persons are seriously mentally ill)

365 days a year women, men and children are sexually exploited. (100 minor girls every night in Georgia)

For the next 365 days we are asking you to join us to help heal the wounds of those broken and devastated. We are asking you to help us live the love of Christ with our most vulnerable neighbors. Join our campaign to raise $1000 every day for the next 365 days to help end the hopelessness, suffering and exploitation of those the world reckons invisible.

You can sponsor 1 day by pledging $2.75 per day. Think of it as buying those who suffer a cup of coffee. Or you can pledge $20 per week. Or $85 per month. Any of these ways of thinking about it gets you to a 1 day sponsorship.

Some of you can sponsor more than 1 day and we do not want to limit what the Lord has graced you to give. Maybe you can do 2 days, a week, or even a month. Maybe you cannot do a whole day but you still want to give what the Lord has graced you with to give. However you are able, you can help provide hope, healing and home for the poor, trafficked, homeless and forgotten.

On November 15th we will be hosting a luncheon from 12-2pm. We would love for you to join us to hear about the many ways God is using and growing our intentional Christian community to transform lives. RSVP here.

]]>https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/365x1000-because-serving-the-vulnerable-never-takes-a-day-off/feed/1Pastor AndyThe Start of Our Anti-Sex Trafficking Effortshttps://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/the-start-of-our-anti-sex-trafficking-efforts/
https://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/the-start-of-our-anti-sex-trafficking-efforts/#respondFri, 12 Sep 2014 01:08:04 +0000http://theviewfromthestreet.wordpress.com/?p=875Continue reading The Start of Our Anti-Sex Trafficking Efforts]]>[I originally wrote this post at the request of a partner church of ours. They asked if I would write a short blog giving people of sense of our anti-trafficking work.]

In the early days with Church on the Street I was out walking our neighborhood when a young lady, who looked 16, approached me. She asked if I was Pastor Andy and that she had heard around the neighborhood I was someone she could trust. She told me her name was Angel. She then began weeping uncontrollably as she threw her arms around me in a strong embrace. It felt like she hadn’t been loved in quite some time so I decided in that instant I would hold on to her until she let go. Angel began to tell me between sobs that she was being prostituted in our neighborhood and she was desperate to escape. I told her I would help her right there (back then I actually had no idea what I would do), but then she told me that she couldn’t leave yet. Her mom was in jail and Angel wanted to tell her that she would be leaving. Then she told me her mom was her pimp.

At that moment I realized that the enslavement to the powers of this world were stronger and more devastating than I had ever imagined. What I had academically espoused, but now confronted head on, is that we are called to live out the reconciliation and justice that Christ has accomplished. As I became more attentive to my neighbors and their suffering, God began to bring more dedicated disciples to serve alongside me. We began to find ways to reveal dignity, hope, rescue and healing to those who had suffered in unconscionable ways for implausible lifetimes.

Christ calls us to live in community, to serve the forgotten and to heap more abundant honor upon those the world dishonors. As the Lord opened our eyes we began to see all those who had been in front of us the whole time. We saw girls and boys being exploited on corners and behind buildings. We saw transgendered adults being battered. We saw the mentally ill and addicted mistreated and victimized. As of late much attention has been given to these exploited girls and boys, but what we also came to see is that once they turn 18 the world turns against them as if that age has magical power to immediately change a lifetime of abuse.

So, what does Church on the Street do for those being trafficked? We make sure we are where they are. We accept them as they are, as we hope they accept us. We welcome them into our lives. We bear one another’s burdens. Our lives are transformed. We seek to cease participating in markets that continue their exploitation. We find safe places for those in danger and in need of healing or treatment. We live the love of Christ with them. In other words we become friends, and what wouldn’t you do for a friend?

By the way, Angel is now drug and prostitution free. She is the owner of a home and is in school full time.

Take a look at this picture I’ve posted. That is my boss and three of my friends (co-workers). We are smiling and being silly as Dr. Webb was driving us to downtown Atlanta this morning.

Now take a closer look at the girl in the middle. Did you see her hair …. freshly cut, colored and highlighted? What about her nails? Aren’t they pretty? Perfectly manicured from last Fridays appointment with Tina, her manicurist. This girl wants to tell you a story. Are you willing to take a moment to listen and hear what she has to say?

A few months ago, well… Christmas to be exact. Our boss, Dr. Webb gave us a rare Christmas gift. That gift was a bible study book with the promise to do it together over the course of 2014. Dr Webb was good on his word and marked off our schedule one day every month for the total of eight sessions. Now, how many people have a boss like that?! I felt so incredibly blessed to work in such a place.

The first month came and after looking over the study, it didn’t take me long to conclude that this study would take us down a path of community outreach. I wasn’t surprised by this, because for years … Dr. Webb has shared with us his passion for the homeless. We’ve collected socks, sent food, books and even seen some of these men and women in our office, reaching out to them with a warm welcome, improving their smiles and … Hopefully, their quality of life. So, again it was of NO surprise to me many months ago that Dr Webb marked off yet another day of our schedule with “Field Trip” typed in the description.

As time passed and the “Field Trip” approached. ….We all were curious. We had questions and even concerns as this “Field Trip” drew closer. Where are you taking us Dr Webb? Will we Be safe? Will we have to do much walking? Will it cost us anything? What will they want from us?After the “Field Trip” … will You take us by the Varsity?!?

The day of the “Field Trip” finally came and this morning …VERY early, I sat in a room of people. mostly men. As we enjoyed donated bagels, grits and coffee, Elliott (a homeless man) led the prayer time and devotion. I read along in Psalm 139. “O Lord thou hast searched me and known me, thou doest know when I lie down and when I rise up, thou doest understand my thoughts from afar”. Then one by one they went around the room…. Calling out, to our Heavenly Father….praying aloud… Asking, for forgiveness, for guidance, for healing, for political mercies. Thanking Our Heavenly Father for another day, surviving another night, for the blessing of another hot meal, for health … For safety… For freedom to worship…. For salvation.

I felt so honored and humbled to be there to witness it, and to share in this precious time with God.

After prayer time, a few more folks joined us and Sylvia (a wife and mother that gives of her time unselfishly to minister to the homeless) asked us to open our bibles and turn to JUDGES where we would Continue their study and talk about Samson and Delilah. As we went through the verses and discussion…. Were there awkward silences as I’ve seen many times in bible study? No there was not. Insights were being bounced from one table to another. EVERYONE having SO much to share about what this passage meant to them, and ultimately what God was showing them. The men were so eager to share, Sylvia (the facilitator) had to say… You first, you second … then you third.

I felt so humbled.

After bible study, Sylvia took us to the streets. As we began to walk, The wind was blowing and I couldn’t help but think what an absolutely beautiful day it was!! Sylvia led us around the corner where we were not only passers by, but it was as if She were a celebrity. Sylvia is very well known in the community they have created there at COTS (Church on the Street) formerly called The Abby. Not because she is a celebrity, but because she has established a relationship with many of the people that are homeless, hungry and struggling in this neighborhood.

It was as though they trusted her and she didn’t seem afraid. One by one, she called out their names and greeted people with a hug, fist punched it out or gave them mints from Her pocket. There were hundreds of people on the street. Maybe because it was a beautiful day or maybe because there was a food truck giving out plates of warm pasta?

We walked we trash, drug dealers, prostitutes, hustlers, children, even stepping over sick people lying In the gutters, sidewalks and bushes.

I was not humbled… I was embarrassed and afraid. Even still we walked ….. And Walked… Greeted people, talked with people and walked some more.

The wind was still blowing and the day…. Was Not so beautiful now.

We went back to the Abby (Church on the Street) where we separated and sat in a room FULL of people that were waiting with forks in hand for their lunch. As I entered the room, the heat of the day hit me in the face and I clung to Elizabeth… not wanting to sit alone. We were invited to sit at a table with five men.Five men that We did not know. I was a little overwhelmed, thoughts rushing through my head….unsure what to say to these men. How do I enter into a conversation? What would I have in common with them? A plate of food was put in front of me. There was no air conditioning, no breeze and By now…. I was very hot, feeling a little claustrophobic, sweating profusely and not very hungry. There was a man sitting beside me… He shook my hand and introduced himself. I noticed his warm eyes as he began to tell me that he had returned to Church of the Street today to share what God had done in his life. He had once come there to eat because he had no where else to go, but now… Because of the opportunities Church on the Street provided to him, he was able to get back on his feet. He had come today to share his “GOOD NEWS”… And encourage those around us not to lose HOPE.

After a few minutes I found that I was conversing with him and the other gentlemen at my table… We talked about making homemade chicken and dumplins, adding green peppers to Ragu when making spaghetti, the tragic death of Robin Williams, How drugs and depression don’t discriminate, our loss in interest of ML baseball after that horrible strike over money in the nineties, moving here 24 years ago from Ohio and not missing that SNOW!

Soon, Our “Field Trip” concluded… And it was time for us to go. We said our goodbyes..and went our separate ways.

As I drove home this afternoon… I turned off my radio. I rode in silence all the way home. As I was reflecting on the events of the day, I found myself thinking about Football season. I don’t know if I’ll ever watch a Falcons game again without visualizing the face of Charles. His ragged T-shirt (Obviously A tossed out 2007 Carnival Cruise souvenir) …… His eyes dancing as he asked me if I enjoyed watching The falcons. And “football ms Linda… Do you like football”… He wanted to know… Was I a Falcons fan? Because He LOVED football.

I remember now as I was leaving thanking him for allowing me to have lunch with him and his reply asking me to please come back. Funny…. Somehow I can’t help but feel we would have no problem having a conversation. As I write this I can see still his toothless grin and Hear His gracious thank you as I slid my plate of food over to him.

There is SO much more I could share and I Thank you for taking the time to read this very long post.

I’ll ask two things of you…1) If and when you watch the Falcons this year? Will you Think of Charles, a delightful Falcons fan. Will you Say a prayer that he is somewhere warm, safe, loved and able to enjoy the game? 2) Please do not look back at the picture I posted. Why? Because I should have never have ask you to look at that girl in the middle anyway.